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Darin's desire for Diet Coke
See Page 2
Home Video Reviews premieres
See Page 6
SXU's Senior Night success
See Page 8
Friday, March 1, 1996
The student newspaper of Saint Xavier University
Volume 64, Number 9
Zorich tackles SXU through intelligence
By Dana Doran
Staff Reporter
Kicking off his presentation
with a short film about his life, Chicago Bear Chris Zorich charmed an
overpopulated McGuire Hall Monday afternoon. He interested the
crowd with heartwarming stories of
growing up as a biracial only child in
a tough neighborhood of Chicago's
South Side, and with details on his
life dedication to helping others.
In honor of Black History
Month, Black Student Union, Students Activities Board and Student
Life Services hosted the successful
event.
Director of Student Activities
Kim Johnson was thrilled about the
program. "Everyone is familiar with
all Chris Zorich has accomplished at
Notre Dame and with the Chicago
Bears. Most people are unfamiliar
with all Zorich has given back to the
community and to others. It is because of these qualities that we are
excited to have him come and visit
our campus."
Zorich's white unwed mother,
Zora, raised Chris for 18 years on
S3,000 a year from public aid. "She
took food from her own mouth and
gave it to her child," he explained.
His black father abandoned his
mother upon hearing of her pregnancy with Chris.
Zorich described his childhood
situation. "When I was eight years
old, I realized I had to get my mother
out." Zorich attended Chicago Vocational High School in hopes of
graduating, getting a job, and taking
care of his mother.
Against his mother's wishes,
he took up football in his sophomore
year. He quoted his mother's feelings on Chris being a team member.
"I do not want my baby getting hurt."
Zorich explained his desire to play
football. "The reason I wanted to be
involved in football was because I
wanted to be doing something positive."
Zorich graduated in 1987,
earning a football scholarship to the
University of Notre Dame. He was
voted captain of the football team,
won several awards and was chosen
All-American for three consecutive
years. In addition, Chris was the first
member of the Zorich family to
graduate from college.
Following his 1991 graduation from Notre Dame, Zorich was
drafted and currently plays for the
Chicago Bears. Throughout his five
years with the Bears, he has won
various awards, and set records for
numbers of tackles and sacks,
jrichspokeabouthis mother
arid'the'impact she had and conun ues
to have on his life. "I've learned a lot
throughout my life.... No one taught
me more thenapoor woman from the
South Side of Chicago."
Zorich discovered his mother
dead of a heart attack in 1991. "I had
no idea how hard it was to lose someone who taught you everything....
All she wanted was for her son to be
a good person."
Zorich claimed to have no regrets about his mother's death, and
said they had a loving life together.
He feels lucky to have had her in his
life. "My mom's death has not diminished her loving and positive influence on my life," he explained.
"She was, and still remains my greatest role model."
Since her death, Zorich has
committed his life to spreading love,
helping others, and giving back to
the community. He is the founder
and chairman of the Christopher
Zorich Foundation, whose ventures
include: The Zora Zora $20,000 Notre
Zorich
Dame Scholarship, children's youth
programs, assistance to women's
shelters, and a food distribution program which has fed over 5,000 Chi-
cagoans.
Zorich gave away his first Zora
Zora Scholarship last year. The recipient attended Washington High
School on Chicago's East Side, where
he was a gang member his freshman
year. At Notre Dame, the recipient
has turned his life around, making
the dean's list in his freshman year.
The Xavierite' awarded best sports news story
The Xavierite won three
awards, including a first-place award
for sports writing, at the 14th annual
Illinois College Press Association
convention last weekend in downtown Chicago.
Current staff members Nancy
Heuser, Keisha Reed and Jessi
Virtusio, and former staff members
Kevin Plienis and Giovanna Bottari
were all recognized for their combined and individual efforts.
something that the university community should recognize as a worthy
accomplishment."
In the 1995 competition, staff
members received awards for best
sports news story, front page layout
and editorial column. All of the
awards were won in the non-daily
portion of the competition.
"We've won eight awards over
the last three years," said Stan
Iwaszkiewicz, advisor of the student
"'The Xavierite' staff has always strived to produce
a quality publication, and it's organizations like the ICPA
which help us to realize whether or not we are succeeding
in our jobs as editors and journalists."
-Jessi Virtusio
It was the third straight year
The Xavierite won recognition from
the ICPA. Virtusio said, "For three
years, we have won awards from
ICPA and excelled in the area of
sports coverage. That is definitely
something for us to be proud of, and
newspaper. "The Xavierite has had
some ups and downs during that time,
but mostly we've been up to the task
of producing a quality publication
that everyone at SXU should appreciate."
Staffers Reed and Heuser won
first place for best sports news story
for a story last fall on the SXU basketball team entitled "Varsity basketball stomps Trolls."
Heuser, a junior art education
major, said, "I'm happy that I won,
but it was a big shock because there's
other good writers on the sports page
of The Xavierite. I'm just happy
that the little people still win. It was
an honor to win first place when
you're not expecting it."
Junior mass communications
major Reed, who is the photo editor,
concurred, 'To be quite honest, I
was shocked too. First I heard
Nancy's name. Then I heard my
name, and I sat in that chair for what
seemed like minutes but it was actually like a second. On my way up
there to get the award, I kept saying,
I don't believe this.' I'm happy to
get an award. It means a lot to me to
know that something that I helped
create is recognized."
Reed added, "The first thing I
did when I got home was go see my
grandfather because he writes, and
we like to talk about writing and
drawing. In a way, the award symbolizes everything that my grandfather inspires me to be, which is basically to be good at whatever I do and
that way I'll always be happy."
Former news editor Plienis and
current managing editor Virtusio
combined to earn a second place
award for front page layout for an
issue that appeared last May.
Virtusio, a junior mass communications major, said, "It was gratifying for me to be recognized by
professionals in the business. The
Xavierite staff has always strived to
produce a quality publication, and
it's organizations like the ICPA which
help us to realize whether or not we
are succeeding in our jobs as editors
and journalists."
She added, "I am very grateful
to the entire staff, both past and
present, for the time and effort that
they put into The Xavierite. This
award and the other awards that we
won this year are a result of our
combined efforts as a staff."
Plienis, a junior mass communications major/business minor, won
This was a feat Zorich found most
impressive.
"I'm Chris Zorich, the son of
Zora Zorich. For me, being a local
celebrity means about as much to me
as you can buy with a quarter....
Being a Chicago Bear has given me
the opportunity to help other people."
Zorich encouraged the audience to
find their true role models, and to be
grateful for them.
His plans for the future include opening his own orphanage,
and hopefully playing in the NFL for
at least five to 10 more years.
"My goal in life is to see my
mother again." When asked if he has
any intention of finding his father,
Zorich responded, "No, but if I did
I'd give him a big hug and thank him
for leaving my mom.... I got to spend
21 years with an angel.... I was a
spoiled little boy."
As the program concluded,
Three SXU students presented Zorich
with gifts of appreciation. SXU senior and football player Bill Lynch
gave Zorich a Cougar sweatshirt.
Venice Renee Fitzgerald, sophomore
and president of the Black Student
Union, completed his wardrobe with
an SXU baseball hat. Finally, junior
Celia Martiza Ocampo, director of
the Inter Club Council for SAB,
handed Zorich an SXU mug and a
complimentary season pass to all of
the 1996 Cougar football games.
If you would like any additional information or would like to
get involved in any of Zorich's charity foundations, he invites you to call
312-573-0019.
ICFA
an award last year for headline writing. He said, "It was exciting to win
an award for the second year in a row
for The Xavierite. All of the hard
work and effort paid off," said Plienis.
"By winning these awards for the
third year in a row, it makes the paper
something that the university can be
proud of."
Former opinions editor Bottari,
who graduated last year, earned an
honorable mention for one of her
editorials. Bottari, who now works
for Irwin Professional Publishing as
direct marketing coordinator, also
did not anticipate winning an ICPA
award. "It was definitely a pleasant
surprise."
She added,"It's something that
I really didn't expect. It's nice to see
that this year other areas of the paper
were recognized, so that people in
the SXU community can see that the
whole paper has improved and is
doing well."

The items digitized in this collection are the property of Saint Xavier University. This image may be used freely, with attribution, for research and educational purposes. For permission to publish, distribute, or use this image for any other purpose, please contact archives@sxu.edu.

Darin's desire for Diet Coke
See Page 2
Home Video Reviews premieres
See Page 6
SXU's Senior Night success
See Page 8
Friday, March 1, 1996
The student newspaper of Saint Xavier University
Volume 64, Number 9
Zorich tackles SXU through intelligence
By Dana Doran
Staff Reporter
Kicking off his presentation
with a short film about his life, Chicago Bear Chris Zorich charmed an
overpopulated McGuire Hall Monday afternoon. He interested the
crowd with heartwarming stories of
growing up as a biracial only child in
a tough neighborhood of Chicago's
South Side, and with details on his
life dedication to helping others.
In honor of Black History
Month, Black Student Union, Students Activities Board and Student
Life Services hosted the successful
event.
Director of Student Activities
Kim Johnson was thrilled about the
program. "Everyone is familiar with
all Chris Zorich has accomplished at
Notre Dame and with the Chicago
Bears. Most people are unfamiliar
with all Zorich has given back to the
community and to others. It is because of these qualities that we are
excited to have him come and visit
our campus."
Zorich's white unwed mother,
Zora, raised Chris for 18 years on
S3,000 a year from public aid. "She
took food from her own mouth and
gave it to her child," he explained.
His black father abandoned his
mother upon hearing of her pregnancy with Chris.
Zorich described his childhood
situation. "When I was eight years
old, I realized I had to get my mother
out." Zorich attended Chicago Vocational High School in hopes of
graduating, getting a job, and taking
care of his mother.
Against his mother's wishes,
he took up football in his sophomore
year. He quoted his mother's feelings on Chris being a team member.
"I do not want my baby getting hurt."
Zorich explained his desire to play
football. "The reason I wanted to be
involved in football was because I
wanted to be doing something positive."
Zorich graduated in 1987,
earning a football scholarship to the
University of Notre Dame. He was
voted captain of the football team,
won several awards and was chosen
All-American for three consecutive
years. In addition, Chris was the first
member of the Zorich family to
graduate from college.
Following his 1991 graduation from Notre Dame, Zorich was
drafted and currently plays for the
Chicago Bears. Throughout his five
years with the Bears, he has won
various awards, and set records for
numbers of tackles and sacks,
jrichspokeabouthis mother
arid'the'impact she had and conun ues
to have on his life. "I've learned a lot
throughout my life.... No one taught
me more thenapoor woman from the
South Side of Chicago."
Zorich discovered his mother
dead of a heart attack in 1991. "I had
no idea how hard it was to lose someone who taught you everything....
All she wanted was for her son to be
a good person."
Zorich claimed to have no regrets about his mother's death, and
said they had a loving life together.
He feels lucky to have had her in his
life. "My mom's death has not diminished her loving and positive influence on my life," he explained.
"She was, and still remains my greatest role model."
Since her death, Zorich has
committed his life to spreading love,
helping others, and giving back to
the community. He is the founder
and chairman of the Christopher
Zorich Foundation, whose ventures
include: The Zora Zora $20,000 Notre
Zorich
Dame Scholarship, children's youth
programs, assistance to women's
shelters, and a food distribution program which has fed over 5,000 Chi-
cagoans.
Zorich gave away his first Zora
Zora Scholarship last year. The recipient attended Washington High
School on Chicago's East Side, where
he was a gang member his freshman
year. At Notre Dame, the recipient
has turned his life around, making
the dean's list in his freshman year.
The Xavierite' awarded best sports news story
The Xavierite won three
awards, including a first-place award
for sports writing, at the 14th annual
Illinois College Press Association
convention last weekend in downtown Chicago.
Current staff members Nancy
Heuser, Keisha Reed and Jessi
Virtusio, and former staff members
Kevin Plienis and Giovanna Bottari
were all recognized for their combined and individual efforts.
something that the university community should recognize as a worthy
accomplishment."
In the 1995 competition, staff
members received awards for best
sports news story, front page layout
and editorial column. All of the
awards were won in the non-daily
portion of the competition.
"We've won eight awards over
the last three years," said Stan
Iwaszkiewicz, advisor of the student
"'The Xavierite' staff has always strived to produce
a quality publication, and it's organizations like the ICPA
which help us to realize whether or not we are succeeding
in our jobs as editors and journalists."
-Jessi Virtusio
It was the third straight year
The Xavierite won recognition from
the ICPA. Virtusio said, "For three
years, we have won awards from
ICPA and excelled in the area of
sports coverage. That is definitely
something for us to be proud of, and
newspaper. "The Xavierite has had
some ups and downs during that time,
but mostly we've been up to the task
of producing a quality publication
that everyone at SXU should appreciate."
Staffers Reed and Heuser won
first place for best sports news story
for a story last fall on the SXU basketball team entitled "Varsity basketball stomps Trolls."
Heuser, a junior art education
major, said, "I'm happy that I won,
but it was a big shock because there's
other good writers on the sports page
of The Xavierite. I'm just happy
that the little people still win. It was
an honor to win first place when
you're not expecting it."
Junior mass communications
major Reed, who is the photo editor,
concurred, 'To be quite honest, I
was shocked too. First I heard
Nancy's name. Then I heard my
name, and I sat in that chair for what
seemed like minutes but it was actually like a second. On my way up
there to get the award, I kept saying,
I don't believe this.' I'm happy to
get an award. It means a lot to me to
know that something that I helped
create is recognized."
Reed added, "The first thing I
did when I got home was go see my
grandfather because he writes, and
we like to talk about writing and
drawing. In a way, the award symbolizes everything that my grandfather inspires me to be, which is basically to be good at whatever I do and
that way I'll always be happy."
Former news editor Plienis and
current managing editor Virtusio
combined to earn a second place
award for front page layout for an
issue that appeared last May.
Virtusio, a junior mass communications major, said, "It was gratifying for me to be recognized by
professionals in the business. The
Xavierite staff has always strived to
produce a quality publication, and
it's organizations like the ICPA which
help us to realize whether or not we
are succeeding in our jobs as editors
and journalists."
She added, "I am very grateful
to the entire staff, both past and
present, for the time and effort that
they put into The Xavierite. This
award and the other awards that we
won this year are a result of our
combined efforts as a staff."
Plienis, a junior mass communications major/business minor, won
This was a feat Zorich found most
impressive.
"I'm Chris Zorich, the son of
Zora Zorich. For me, being a local
celebrity means about as much to me
as you can buy with a quarter....
Being a Chicago Bear has given me
the opportunity to help other people."
Zorich encouraged the audience to
find their true role models, and to be
grateful for them.
His plans for the future include opening his own orphanage,
and hopefully playing in the NFL for
at least five to 10 more years.
"My goal in life is to see my
mother again." When asked if he has
any intention of finding his father,
Zorich responded, "No, but if I did
I'd give him a big hug and thank him
for leaving my mom.... I got to spend
21 years with an angel.... I was a
spoiled little boy."
As the program concluded,
Three SXU students presented Zorich
with gifts of appreciation. SXU senior and football player Bill Lynch
gave Zorich a Cougar sweatshirt.
Venice Renee Fitzgerald, sophomore
and president of the Black Student
Union, completed his wardrobe with
an SXU baseball hat. Finally, junior
Celia Martiza Ocampo, director of
the Inter Club Council for SAB,
handed Zorich an SXU mug and a
complimentary season pass to all of
the 1996 Cougar football games.
If you would like any additional information or would like to
get involved in any of Zorich's charity foundations, he invites you to call
312-573-0019.
ICFA
an award last year for headline writing. He said, "It was exciting to win
an award for the second year in a row
for The Xavierite. All of the hard
work and effort paid off," said Plienis.
"By winning these awards for the
third year in a row, it makes the paper
something that the university can be
proud of."
Former opinions editor Bottari,
who graduated last year, earned an
honorable mention for one of her
editorials. Bottari, who now works
for Irwin Professional Publishing as
direct marketing coordinator, also
did not anticipate winning an ICPA
award. "It was definitely a pleasant
surprise."
She added,"It's something that
I really didn't expect. It's nice to see
that this year other areas of the paper
were recognized, so that people in
the SXU community can see that the
whole paper has improved and is
doing well."

The items digitized in this collection are the property of Saint Xavier University. This image may be used freely, with attribution, for research and educational purposes. For permission to publish, distribute, or use this image for any other purpose, please contact archives@sxu.edu.